Google may be tapping HTC to build premium 8-inch Nexus tablet

Higher-end than the Nexus 7

Google might be making some big changes with its next Nexus tablet by switching over to a larger 8-inch slate created by HTC.

Hit-or-miss DigiTimes reported Google has employed HTC to develop the new Nexus 8 tablet, which may come out sometime between July and September.

Sources from the upstream supply chain explained the internet search giant is considering a new design for its slate, and therefore it's decided to split from Asus, which has manufactured the last two generations of Nexus 7 devices.

Supposedly the break is mutual as sources claimed Asus also wanted out due to the third-generation tablet restrictions Google had put in place. Now with the relationship severed, Asus supposedly will now be able to push "its own-brand tablets and smartphones fully."

Tablets for all

This isn't the first time Google has switched manufacturers. Previously Google employed Samsung to develop its early smartphones before switching to LG to produce the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.

What's more, this purported partnership slots in perfectly with HTC's plans to "disrupt" the traditional design of tablets and smartwatches. In February, we also heard that HTC had won the rights to produce a "high-end" Nexus tablet.

A Nexus 8 tablet has been said to arrive by mid-2014, which corroborates with the new details from the upstream supply sources. What little else we know is the tablet could feature an Intel Bay Trail-T processor, and rumors suggest Google's next tablet could feature a resolution bump of 2560 x 1600.

It's just a over a month until Google I/O where we will hopefully see these early reports of a new Nexus 8, and possibly Nexus 10, bear fruit. Until then, stay tuned to this space.